Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salisbury, MD and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,285 in Salisbury, MD, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Salisbury, MD
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Salisbury, MD Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Salisbury, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,285

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Salisbury, MD and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Salisbury, MD and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,285 in Salisbury, MD versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Salisbury, MD $2,285
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,723 in Salisbury, MD versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Salisbury, MD $3,723
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,161 in Salisbury, MD versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Salisbury, MD $5,161
Phuket $2,845

Living in Salisbury, MD is roughly 89% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Salisbury, MD is 69% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 $22.36

$4.40 ฿147

408.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.0 $96.0

$32.26 ฿1,078

197.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 $11.69

$8.76 ฿293

33.45%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$2.83 ฿94.5

42.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.90 ฿30.14

224.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.47 ฿15.56

317.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 $6.66

$2.55 ฿85.2

161.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.74 $8.74

$3.83 ฿128

128.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.73 ฿57.7

-50.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.47 ฿49.11

61.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.51 ฿50.6

153.64%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.17 ฿72.7

115.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 $13.31

$19.70 ฿658

-32.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.65 $15.65

$3.34 ฿112

368.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 $13.83

$11.16 ฿373

23.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.85 ฿95.1

72.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.70 ฿56.9

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.19 ฿73.3

-8.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.05 ฿68.4

56.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.45 ฿48.57

53.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.38 ฿46.16

91.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.07 ฿35.69

68.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.51 ฿16.91

313.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.10 $8.10

$4.26 ฿142

90.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.10 $12.10

$18.58 ฿621

-34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.78 ฿59.7

-20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.85 ฿95.2

-48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.26 ฿75.6

-13.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.31 $49.31

$22.10 ฿738

123.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.01 ฿101

61.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.06 ฿35.34

73.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 $30.59

$3.86 ฿129

692.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.45 ฿48.45

-36.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.2K $24.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-8.07%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.1K $26.1K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-3.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$146 $146

$96.4 ฿3,221

51.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$39.54 $39.54

$11.04 ฿369

258.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.92 $24.92

$17.14 ฿573

45.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 $62.2

$52.2 ฿1,744

19.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.16 $22.16

$11.16 ฿373

98.57%

Cinema Ticket

$16.86 $16.86

$7.81 ฿261

115.88%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,486 $1,486

$556 ฿18.6K

167.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K $10.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-12.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 $88.6

$64.2 ฿2,146

38.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 $56.6

$28.69 ฿959

97.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 $141

$95.4 ฿3,187

48.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$88.0 ฿2,940

71.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 $1,209

$737 ฿24.6K

64.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 $1,016

$462 ฿15.5K

119.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,453 $2,453

$2,095 ฿70.0K

17.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,122 $2,122

$1,201 ฿40.1K

76.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,211 $2,211

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-36.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,242 $2,242

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-11.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,419 $3,419

$501 ฿16.7K

582.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.99

5.57

25.49%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Salisbury, MD: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Salisbury, MD

$1K 44.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 54.5% $554

Groceries & Markets

Salisbury, MD

$361 15.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 25.7% $93

Eating Out

Salisbury, MD

$333 14.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 63.5% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salisbury, MD

$210 9.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 40.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Salisbury, MD

$197 8.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 36.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Salisbury, MD

$96 4.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 29.3% $28

Getting Around

Salisbury, MD

$71 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 44.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,209 in Salisbury, MD and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salisbury, MD pays 583% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $96.0 in Salisbury, MD vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salisbury, MD

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

10:55 10:55 AM

11 h ahead of Salisbury, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,480

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Salisbury, MD Phuket 14,840 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Salisbury, MD
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Salisbury, MD vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 583% higher in Salisbury, MD, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,209 in Salisbury, MD versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,486 in Salisbury, MD versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Salisbury, MD. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,285 in Salisbury, MD, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Salisbury, MD. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Salisbury, MD, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Salisbury, MD and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Salisbury, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.